Halstead “Sooty’ Byron
St. Kitts & Nevis made history for the wrong reasons last Friday August 21, 2015 – the official start of the 10-day Caribbean Festival of Arts 12th Edition (Carifesta XII). For the first time in the 43 year history of the world’s biggest, best and most diverse regional cultural festival SKN is not represented. Two years ago I wrote a piece lamenting that Nevis was not represented at Carifesta XI in Suriname. Little did I know then that said non-representation would be extended to the entire Federation at Carifesta XII in Haiti in 2015.
As someone who has participated in Carifesta on 4 different occasions including playing an integral role on the Organizing Committee for Carifesta VII in Kitts & Nevis in 2000, I tuned in to CMC Ch 62 on Friday last to witness the opening ceremony and to view with pride the SKN contingent in the Parade of Nations. But Alas! The SKN national flag and contingent were nowhere to be seen. My initial reaction was that the SKN contingent must have had flight problems and had arrived or would be arriving late. I later learned with great disappointment that SKN would not be represented at Carifesta XII.
Why aren’t our artists, artistes, craftsmen, cultural practitioners represented at this prestigious festival? Aren’t our folklorists, performers, musicians, singers, dancers, dramatists, poets, story tellers, visual arts and culinary arts practitioners etc good enough to display their talents on Carifesta’s grand stage? Why miss this great opportunity to have our cultural folks mingle with Caribbean and international fellow cultural practitioners and share their unique experiences? Why boycott this Caricom organized mega event? Why dis fellow Caricom member Haiti by our non-attendance? Was lack of money the problem? Was priority given to athletes to run school boy times in Beijing? Or for the royal family fun trip to Taiwan?
As a proud small nation which has hosted one of the most successful editions of Carifesta, and given our rich cultural heritage and our abundance of talent amongst our people, it is unfathomable and unforgivable that SKN could miss participation in the staging of any Carifesta no matter when and where in the world it is held. The entire SKN cultural and artistic community must demand answers for this debacle!!!!!!!!!!!!!